


JC's Heart

by Eastdale20



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:36:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastdale20/pseuds/Eastdale20
Summary: Luke is a single father. An accident leads him and his family to find out his daughter is a very sick little girl.
Relationships: Reid Oliver/Luke Snyder
Comments: 13
Kudos: 21





	1. The Accident

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own As the World Turns or the characters.

“Dad, can you watch JC for me?” Luke asked, he had just gotten a call from Casey asking if he wanted to get a quick bite to eat. Casey was only in town for a few days and Luke hadn’t gotten to spend any time with him.

“I’m really busy, Luke. Why don’t you go see if Ma could watch her?”

Luke sighed. He loved his daughter more than the world itself, he just wished he had been older when she was born. She had been conceived when he was young and drunk. He had been barely sixteen and wanted to be straight so much. So, he went out with his friend Kevin and drank himself into a blackout. He woke up beside a very nude girl that he barely knew. A few months later Anna found him at school and told him she was pregnant. She didn’t want to me a mother yet, she wanted to give the baby up for adoption. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his child. After that he told his parents and that was that. His grandmother insisted on a paternity test when JC was born but he had no doubt. Jacinda Clove Snyder was born just one day before his seventeenth birthday.

School had been hard but having her there made him realize he couldn’t keep just thinking about himself. He stopped drinking and finally realized he did have a problem with alcohol. That lead him to tell his parent the truth about himself, the reason he drank…that he was gay. His father took it well, his mother took a while to come around. Damian had shown up and Luke thought it was to meet his granddaughter. It wasn’t, it was to get the money that was Luke’s inheritance. After being told by Damian that no son of his was gay, Luke agreed and told him that he was Holden Snyder’s son. That was the last time he had seen his father. A few years ago, he had received his inheritance in full, he was sure it was Damian’s way of saying he was sorry.

When it was time for college, he went to Oakdale U. He was lucky enough to have an amazing family who would take care for her while he was in school. Things changed a little in college, he met someone he was attracted to. Noah was sweet but very in the closet. It had been nothing more than a few kisses and long looks. Noah wanted to stay in the closet and Luke needed someone with him 100%. Luke had always wanted the same thing, a person to love and that loved him. He guessed if he were straight, he would have probably been married by now. He wasn’t one for playing the field like his friend Casey says.

“Grandma isn’t back from the store. Could you just watch her until she gets back? Casey isn’t in town awfully long.”

His father sighed. “Fine, but this is the last time. She’s your daughter and your responsibility.”

That ruffled his feathers a little, he had absolutely no life, spending all his time not at work with his child. His family as much as he loved them never really was about spending time with their kids. His brother Ethan was just barely older than JC and Luke had him more than either of his parents did.

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, trying not to sound annoyed. He turned to where JC was playing, she was playing with a toy truck his father had gotten her.

“JC, your grandpa going to watch you. Be good for him.”

“Alright, Daddy,” she chirped before smiling up at him. She had his own big brown eyes, he loved her so much.

Turning around, “Thanks, Dad,” he said before leaving. It was going to be a great day.

* * *

Luke laughed at one of the many stories about law school Casey shared.

“I miss you; I wish you were closer,” Luke said honestly.

“Aww, you’re gonna make me cry,” Casey said, pretending to wipe his eyes.

The door dinged and Luke looked up seeing Casey’s grandfather, Bob come into Al’s.

“Hey, Grandad,” Casey said, seeing him also.

“How are you boys?” Bob asked.

“Great, just spending time with my boy before I hit the road,” Casey said.

“Ah, I see. And how is that little angel of yours Luke?”

“Stubborn,” he said, smiling. “She’s taken to proving she’s better at everything than Ethan. I think it’s starting to hurt his feelings.”

“Takes after her father with the stubborn part I see, she’s young, let her try out her own wings. If there is anyone that knows about taking care of others it’s you, she has your heart, she just has her great-grandmother’s spirit,” Bob said, beaming. He looked to start to say something else, but his pager went off. Looking down at it he frowned. “Sorry boys there is an emergency coming into the hospital. I’ll talk to you later.” Bob was gone like a flash.

Luke went to pull out his cell phone, just to call and check on JC, but realized he had left it at the farm. Luke and JC lived in a small two-bedroom apartment close enough to his work and her school to walk to both. But they had been spending a few days at the farm, JC loved the farm.

“Well, I better get back to the farm and check on JC. Dad wasn’t too pleased to take care of her. He’s really busy because it’s foaling season. It was great seeing you. Sometime soon me and JC will come visit you.” He heard the phone ring behind the counter and Henry answer but really didn’t pay any attention until he heard Henry calling his name.

“Luke!”

“What’s wrong?” he asked the man; Henry’s face was white.

“It’s your dad, get over to Memorial. JC’s been kicked by a horse.”

Luke stood there frozen, feeling like he couldn’t breath until Casey pulled him into motion. All he could think was please let her be alive.

* * *

“Dr. Oliver, did you make Gina on the second-floor cry?”

Reid looked at his chief of staff sharply. He didn’t know a Gina and he was never on the second floor, that was gyno and obstetrics.

“I don’t know a Gina, and if I did, she probably deserved it.”

“Gina is the head nurse in the maternity ward. Do you know how bad you have to be to make a head nurse cry?”

“I’ve never been on the second floor, Dr. Campbell.”

“No, this was in the cafeteria.”

“Oh, are you talking about the idiot who spilled her scalding hot coffee on me? Yes, I did make her cry. She didn’t like the blunt approach.”

“Reid, she’s mentioned something to me about making a complaint. I told her I would talk to you and work it out.”

“Right, well as fun as this conversation has been, I have a job to do.”

“What have you decided to do about the Jacinda Snyder case?”

“I will state again, I would accept her as a patient, but she needs to come here. I can’t leave my other patients.”

“The chief of staff is reluctant to release her for travel until you see her in person.”

“I saw all of her scans; she is fine for travel.”

“Dr. Oliver, going to Oakdale to make sure a little girl is alright for travel won’t kill you. I have been asked by the girl’s great-grandmother, a very prominent woman. You will go, the family’s private plane is coming for you now.”

That’s why the man chased him down, not because of Gina from the second floor. It was a veiled threat about having him written up for his behavior. He knew the game, he hated hospital politics.

He had agreed to take the little girl’s case. The six-year-old had been kicked by a horse a few months back. Overall, she had been fine, nothing that a few weeks of recovery wouldn’t treat. She had been lucky, and the hoof had only lightly come in contact with her back. But she had a CT scan because they had been worried, she hit her head when she fell. What it revealed was every family’s worst nightmare. The little girl had a tumor, one that would kill her, if something wasn’t done. They had gone to Dr. Channing, that deli slicer, and he had biopsied it. It wasn’t malignant but it didn’t have to be, the placement of it was inoperable to most doctors. Channing had told them just to make her as comfortable as possible. They had tried radiation to shrink it, but it wasn’t working. Reid had gotten a call from Channing himself, begging him to look at the girl’s case, so he did.

Sadly, it seemed the family were full of rich people who thought they could buy anyone or anything they wanted. Too bad his chief of staff seemed to agree. He was going to hate this trip.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke stared at his sleeping daughter and thought back to a few short months ago. Everything had been so carefree and wonderful. His biggest problem was an ongoing issue with Mrs. Travis, one of JC’s classmates’ parents. The woman thought Luke was a kid and she didn’t need to listen to him about the care for his daughter. She thought she knew everything about parenting because she was older and had several children. She gave JC a mango even though he told her she was allergic. The woman gave her a mango to prove he was wrong. JC was covered with a painful red rash all over body for days. It was lucky she wasn’t anymore allergic than that.

But now, he wished for the good old days like that. Now it was full of doctors’ appointments, scans and sadness. Now he knew what his parents felt like when he was dying, needing a kidney. The feeling of complete helplessness was overwhelming.

Now they had a small glimmer of hope. Dr. Channing had been unable to help them anymore than to biopsy the tumor. He had told them about the best neurosurgeon though, his nemesis…Dr. Reid Oliver.

“Why don’t you go out for a walk or maybe to get something to eat?” his mother asked, startling him.

“I don’t want to leave her, Mom. I can’t believe the doctor didn’t come back on the jet. At least he’ll be here tomorrow. I’ll wait at the airport all day if I have to, just to make sure he sees her.”

“Just for an hour, honey. You need to take better care of yourself. You haven’t been eating or sleeping properly. Your own doctor is very worried about you. You need to take care of yourself, you’ll be no good to her if you’re sick too.”

“If I go to Al’s for an hour will it stop the guilt trip?”

“Yes, thank you,” his mother said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Call me if she wakes up,” he told her.

Leaving was hard because he felt that if he let her out of his sight for a second, she would be gone. When she got hurt, he thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen. Then Bob came back with the scans that he did just to be sure she was alright. He said he saw something suspicious but didn’t want to comment on it until he had Dr. Farber, Memorial’s neurologist look at it. Dr. Farber sent them right to Dr. Channing in Chicago. Channing had done the biopsy but was reluctant to try anything more drastic. That’s when they started radiation. It wasn’t until Channing told them about Dr. Oliver that hope started to trickle in.

Luke and JC had moved into the farm full time after the diagnosis. Luke had quit his job and put most of their stuff in storage. He needed to be there for JC full time. It was the only real time he had ever been glad for his money. He didn’t have to worry about working to pay the bills or for her medical care.

He decided not to go to Al’s, instead he went to Yo’s. He didn’t know the bartender which was good because he didn’t look at Luke odd when he ordered vodka. He didn’t pay attention when a man sat down beside him.

“Are you going to drink it or just look at it?” the man asked.

“Just trying to decide if I should break seven years of sobriety for this drink,” he said, picking up the glass.

“I probably would say if you have seven years of sobriety behind you, you don’t need that drink.”

“Well, I need something or I’m going to crawl out of my skin tonight.”

“When I feel like that I always go out and get laid,” the guy said.

Luke looked at him, curly auburn hair, blue eyes. He was wearing a black button up shirt and blue jeans. Luke had to admit he was quite good looking.

“Sure, why not,” Luke said, putting the drink back down, standing up and grabbing his coat. He looked at the man expectantly. He wasn’t sure the man offering but who knows, but no risk taken nothing earned.

The man looked at him oddly for a moment before throwing some cash down on the bar. “Right, your place or my hotel?”

He couldn’t’ take this man back to the farm but knowing his luck this guy was staying at the Lakeview. He didn’t need Sarah, the night manager, telling his mom about this. He had one place that they could go.

“Mine.”

* * *

Reid didn’t know what to think when he left the bar with the blond stranger. The guy was young, too young really. He looked about eighteen but if he had been sober for seven years, he was legal. That and the bartender had served him. The man drove a really fancy car, but it wasn’t too showing. One thing did cause him a moment of pause, there was a child’s car seat in the back seat. It was pink and black. Reid looked for a ring on the man’s finger but didn’t see one. That meant he could be a single father; the car seat could be his niece’s, or he was a bastard and just not wearing his wedding ring to hook up. Reid didn’t think it was the latter.

They pulled up to a nice-looking cottage, all the lights were off, so a family didn’t live in it or at least they weren’t home. He could see a big house not far from the cottage and wondered if they were owned by the same person. Not this boy because he may be older than Reid took him for when he met him, there was no way he owned a mansion like that. He probably just rented the cottage.

Reid followed him in, it was clear no one lived there. It was clean no doubt but didn’t have the homey feeling that made him sick. But he wasn’t here for decorating tips.

“Where’s the bedroom?” he asked.

The blond started to look nervous. That wouldn’t do at all, Reid leaned in and kissed him. The younger man was very receptive to the kiss and pointed in the direction of the bedroom. Reid thought when he came to this dump of a town, he wouldn’t find anything interesting…he was wrong. It made him glad he refused the jet earlier in the day and caught his own flight. Everyone expected him tomorrow, it wasn’t his fault if he got there earlier than expected.

* * *

When Luke woke up, the stranger was gone. It shocked him that he was a bit upset about that. Suddenly, he remembered JC. How could he have forgotten her? He had sent his mom a text the night before that he was sleeping at the cottage, hoping that no one showed up. He quickly dressed and headed for the farm.

JC was cheerily eating breakfast when he arrived.

“You’re late,” JC said looking up from her pancakes.

“Sorry,” he told her, kissing the top of her head. JC had Anna’s beautiful face but his hair and eyes. Everyone always said they had the same attitude when they didn’t get what they wanted.

“I told her you fell asleep at the guest house because you were too tired to drive,” his grandma said, looking at his unkempt hair and state of his clothes, daring him to argue.

“Thanks Grandma, I lost track of time, I hope mom gave you my message and it wasn’t too much to watch her.”

“You know I love spending time with my Jacinda.”

“It’s JC, Grandma,” JC pouted.

“Sorry, honey, you’re always Jacinda to me.”

“Not fair, you don’t call Dad Luciano.”

Luke smiled at his grandma while she just shook her head. JC hated her name, he was well aware, she told him at every opportunity. He had picked it because he wanted it to honor his grandmother in a way, he loved her. He wanted his daughter to be a take no prisoners badass like his mother. People didn’t walk all over Lucinda Walsh, and they wouldn’t her great-granddaughter either.

“I’m sorry, would it make you feel better if people called me Luciano?” he asked her.

JC scrunched up her nose and shook her head. “No, that would be weird.” He agreed, he was only called Luciano when he was in trouble, by all except his dad. Holden still had an issue with his link to his biological father, albeit a thin one.

“Right, well, I’m going to get showered and dressed. We need to be at the hospital to meet your new doctor in two hours.”

“Is he nice Daddy?” she asked, kicking her feet under the table.

“I don’t know, I bet even if he isn’t there’s no way he couldn’t fall for your charm.”

“Everyone likes me,” she said nodding her head.

“That we do,” he said giving her another kiss on her head before heading upstairs. He just hoped this doctor could save his daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Luke and JC were waiting for the Dr. Oliver to arrive. Bob had come to checked on them a few times. As they waited Luke’s mind wondered back to the man, he spent the night with. He hadn’t even gotten a name; it was so unlike him. He would have to tell Jade when she called to check on how the appointment went. It was more her style than his, he had only had one, one-night stand before and he was looking at the result of that right now.

“Are we going to fly on GG’s jet,” JC asked as she colored in her book that he brought with her.

“If the doctor says you’re alright to fly.”

“Is he going to make me all better?”

“That’s what he’s coming for, he’s going to tell us if you’re alright to fly then we go to Dallas and he fixes what the other doctors couldn’t.”

“Is my hair going to get cut again? It just started growing back,” she said, patting the raised scar and shorn hair.

“Yes, he will, hopefully he will just cut where the last doctor did, so you won’t have a new scar.”

“It’s alright, Daddy, I don’t mind the scar. Like Grandpa says, ‘Scars tell us that we survived.’ Right?”

“That’s right, baby.”

She stood up and walked over to where he was sitting and patted his side where his scar is. “You’re all better now, right?” she asked worriedly.

She knew only a little about his kidney transplant. She knew he had to take medicine and see his doctor regularly. He had gotten a kidney infection a few months before her accident and it scared her. Scared him too and he made a will in case something should happen to him. As much as he loved his parents, he didn’t think adding another child to their responsibility was for the best. His grandmothers were too old to take on the full-time responsibility of a small girl. It had taken a lot of thought for him to decide on his late cousin’s wife. Katie was a great mother and Luke knew that she would protect and care for JC like she was her own. Katie had cried when he asked her, but she promised it was a good cry, that was before she made sure he knew she expected to never be called into action.

“Luke, you’re here.”

Luke smiled up at his grandmother’s new husband. He liked Brian for the most part, he was kind and very caring to his grandmother. There were times he sort of gotten an uncomfortable feeling with him, but he pushed that away, he was just being dramatic.

After JC was diagnosed with the tumor his grandmother wanted to do something for her. Because Memorial didn’t have the kind of technology or facilities to help with an issue like JC’s, his grandmother asked if he wanted to start a foundation with his money. She had known that he wanted to do something worthwhile with it. It had been her idea to build a state-of-the-art neuro wing at the hospital. They already had a lot of big donors for it, Henry and his grandmother being two. Even Paul Ryan donated a large sum, Luke didn’t even want to think about where that money came from.

Everyone knew that this might not be their only need for a neuro wing. With as many accidents, attacks and crazy things that happen in Oakdale it was a smart plan. Because he was too busy with JC to run a foundation at the moment his grandmother had called in Brian Wheatley. It had been a quick romance and his grandmother had married him before any of them knew.

Here Luke was at twenty-three and his grandmother had a better love life than him. If he didn’t count the hookup from last night, the last person he slept with was Anna. He didn’t dare tell the man from last night, it was too embarrassing. Although he was sure the man figured it out when just before he was penetrated, he freaked out and asked if it was going to hurt. God, he was shocked the guy didn’t just up and leave then. But he didn’t, he walked Luke through everything he was doing and even spent more time preparing him. It was awkward and he still hurt a little today, but he didn’t regret it one bit.

“How are you today, princess?” Brian asked JC, bringing Luke out of his thoughts.

“The doctor is going to make me better,” she said, smiling brightly at Brian.

Today was a good day, no headaches or vomiting that usually put her out of commission for the whole day. Those were the days that Luke felt completely useless, all he could do was give her medicine and clean up her vomit.

“I heard. Where is this miracle man?” Brian asked.

“He’s not here yet but should be soon. Did you need something, Brian?”

“No, just letting you know that everything is going as planned. I was meeting with Bob today; we’re going to start interviewing for the head of neuro wing soon. Dr. Farber has given us a few names but did say if we could lock down Dr. Reid, we should do it.”

“All I care about right now is that he does the surgery for JC,” he said. He understood the need to have a great neurosurgeon for the wing, but his concern was fully on JC right now.

“Alright, I was just letting you know. I hope that everything goes good today. Your mother invited Lucinda and I to dinner tonight, are you going to be there?”

“No, depending on what the doctor says we might be flying to Dallas tonight.”

“That’s good, see you later, Luke,” Brian said, gripping Luke’s shoulder a little too long for Luke’s comfort.

* * *

Reid watched the interaction between the man from last night and an older man. He wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said but he could practically feel the lust coming off the older man and the unease coming from the younger one.

Before he could say anything, something caught his eye. It was a small girl, he saw familiar twitch of her eye and rushed over. He had just gotten to her when she slid off the chair. He was able to grab her before her head hit the floor.

“Oh God, not another one,” the younger man said kneeling beside him.

“When was her last seizure?” he asked.

“Thursday, lasted eighteen seconds,” the young man said.

“Let me guess, this is Jacinda Snyder,” he said.

That was when the younger man looked at him, his eyes widened but then went right back to the small girl who had stopped fitting.

“Daddy?” the girl whimpered, looking tiredly at the young man.

“It’s alright,” he said to her before looking at Reid. “Thank you, I wasn’t looking at her. If you hadn’t caught her this could have been worse.”

“It’s alright. I’m Dr. Oliver, I do believe we have an appointment.”

The younger man nodded, leaning down and scooping the small girl up in his arms. “Yes, thank you.”

“Luke, is everything alright?”

Luke, the younger man, looked at the man he had been speaking with. “Everything is fine, Brian. Don’t tell my grandmother about this, it’ll just worry her.”

“Dr. Hughes has given me temporary privileges here. First, I want to get an updated panel of bloods and new scans. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” the young blond man said.

“That’s great but I wasn’t asking you. You’re not the one going to be poked and prodded like a pin cushion,” he said, winking at the girl. She was back looking with clear eyes if just a little tired. She giggled.

The blond looked embarrassed for a moment before shaking his head and placing the girl on the hospital bed.

“Are you going to make me better?” the girl asked.

“That is the plan,” he said as the started a routine checkup.

“The other doctor told Daddy that I just needed medicine to be comfortable,” she chirped.

The younger man looked at him with sad eyes. Reid understood what the girl thought the doctor meant. The doctor had told the girl’s father that they would give her pain medicine to make it comfortable when she goes. The scans he saw in Dallas showed the girl wasn’t on her death bed yet. She actually had a particularly good prognosis, but only if he was able to get the complete tumor. Where it was located blocked most doctors from even trying. Lucky for them, Reid wasn’t like most doctors.

* * *

Luke was in awe of his daughter; she was still smiling after they took her blood and put her through the scan. She was his hero; he had been fifteen when he got sick and wasn’t even close to being as strong as she is a six.

Just as they finished the last of the tests, his dad walked into the room. He had called him to come to look after JC while he talked to the doctor.

“Hey, Dad, thanks for coming.”

“It’s fine, I’m taking her over for a milkshake at Al’s. When you know just come and get us,” he said before taking JC’s hand and leaving. Luke watched after his father and wondered why he was so short with him. He would think more about it later, right now there were more important things to think about.

“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked the doctor.

“Mr. Snyder, Jacinda is an extremely sick little girl. Her new scans aren’t what I was hoping for. She needs the surgery sooner, not later. I do worry about the flight putting extra pressure on her, but I think it’s worth the risk. She’ll need to stay in Dallas for six weeks following the operation. And if everything checks out after that, I’ll need to see her ever three months for the first year and then I think we’ll call it a success.”

“We’re building a neuro wing here; in case it comes back. I know it won’t be done in time for her this time I just want to be prepared.”

“It’s a good thing she has Richie Rich as a father, isn’t it?”

Luke looked at the man deeply offended. He wasn’t some prep schoolboy that never had to work a day in his life.

“I’m sorry, have I somehow offended you? You were the one that left this morning without so much as a backward wave.”

He couldn’t believe he just said that, he thought he was doing well ignoring the fact that JC’s doctor was his one-night-stand. Not only that, he worried about how bad he must have been last night for him to run out this morning with no way to get back to his car.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about last night. It was fun but it’s over. If you can’t accept that you are free to find another doctor.”

“You know I can’t do that, you’re the only one willing to do the surgery. Not only that you are the only one with a chance in hell at succeeding to save my daughter.”

“Then I guess we both better just forget about last night. I get the paperwork ready to have her transferred to Dallas.”

“We can take my grandmother’s jet.”

“Sorry, money is fine and dandy, but she’ll need a flight with the medical equipment needed for me to sign off on this. Too bad, I have heard about the heated seats,” the man said before turning and walking away. Luke was never so exasperated as he was right then. He really was starting to hate that man. 


	4. Chapter 4

Luke just made arrangements with Bob about getting an air ambulance. It was expensive so short notice, but he would do anything for JC. Bob said that he would tell Dr. Oliver, who would be flying with them. Luke really didn’t like the smug doctor, he just wished he hadn’t slept with him. No, that wasn’t true, he didn’t regret it, maybe that was the problem. Now he needed to go home and pack and then get JC. He would have most of it sent to him in Dallas, six weeks of clothes and necessities were too much to carry with him. The rest was already packed he just needed it sent, he would ask Brian to do that.

Al’s was busy with the dinner crowd when he arrived. He saw his dad and JC sitting at the counter with fries in front of them. He could hear JC’s voice from the doorway.

“And I says myself, JC, you can ride this horse,” JC said, regaling her audience of his dad and Henry with her tales.

“What happened next?” Henry asked, playing the enthralled audience member well.

“Well, he was bigger than the barn, but I got on him.”

“Wow!” Henry said.

“Really? I didn’t think Ryder was that big,” his dad said.

“Your eyes are getting old, grandpa.” She patted him solemnly on the arm.

Luke couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of him. She was the funniest little girl he had ever met. JC turned around hearing his laugh and squealed jumping off the stool. She landed on her feet and ran to him wrapping him in a hug. He bent down and returned it.

“Have you been good for Grandpa?”

“Uh-huh. Are we going to the big hospital?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah, baby. I have to talk to grandpa first.” Henry was off serving others, so Luke looked around the diner. He saw Noah and Maddie; they were still together but Luke stayed out of it. He knew what Maddie didn’t, but it wasn’t his place to say. He walked over to the couple.

“Hey Luke,” Maddie said smiling widely at him.

“Hi, I was wondering if you could watch JC for a minute while I have a private talk with my dad?”

“No, problem. Come here, JC, I’ll show you pictures of our vacation.”

Luke walked away, not missing his daughter’s glare at him. She loved people just like he did, but she wasn’t one for small talk that didn’t revolve around her. Yeah, she was a bit spoiled. He was working on it before the accident but now, no one could even look at her wrong before he was ready to defend and kill. She would make him pay for leaving her with Maddie looking at boring beach photos.

“What did the doctor say?” his dad asked. He didn’t like the way his dad said doctor.

“He’s ok’d her for travel, but we have to take an air ambulance there. That’s not what I wanted to talk about. Why are you mad at me? I’ve only seen you twice today and you’ve been short with me both times.”

“Your mom called me last night and told me that you were at the cottage. She was worried about you and asked me to go check on you. I get there and find a man half dressed in the living room. When I asked where you were, he said probably in the bedroom where he left you moments before. He was still buttoning his jeans when I got there. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what you were doing. Now I find out this man is JC’s doctor.”

“Dad, I didn’t know that last night.”

“That doesn’t matter, you can sleep with whoever you want, you’re an adult. But I won’t stand for this kind of behavior around my granddaughter and you mother agrees.”

Luke’s jaw dropped. This was unbelievable. He felt rage boiling his blood.

“That’s rich from you and mom, you two have been through EVERYONE in town…twice. You don’t get a say what can be around my child. I’ve slept with two people in my life and they have been seven years apart, not that it’s any of your business. So, what that I wanted to do something stupid last night. Wanted to think about myself for ONCE, one night that was it. One night before days of sleepless nights and weeks of recovery. But that’s only if everything goes according to plan. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve asked you to watch JC. How many times have you dropped Ethan and the girls off with me? How many times with grandma? Last Christmas you both decided that you wanted to try again and went to Hawaii together. It was Christmas and I had to do everything for them but it’s nothing new. You don’t ever have to worry about me asking anything of you or mom again. And since you think you can allow or not allow things near my daughter, we might as well just stay in Dallas.”

He was so angry he turned on his heel stomped over to JC, picked her up and walked out. He could feel his face burning with rage. How dare that man? After everything, his parents put him through and now this. He had the gotten the most important things in his car already. JC and his documentation, his medicine and JC’s and Vladimir the bear. He wanted out of Oakdale now.

Reid was waiting for his patient and her father. The air ambulance team were ready, and he just wanted to get back home. He had appointments in the morning and would like to get some sleep before them. He had recognized the man who came to take Jacinda away. It had been the man who found him in the cottage last night and forced him to leave, making Reid walk back to town and his car at night. This town was a hole in the wall, and he was glad to be leaving.

As much as he hated to admit it, the father, Luke Snyder made his heart beat a little faster. Not that anything would happen again, he was his patient’s father and Reid knew how to be professional.

Someone bumped into his making him drop his sandwich. That was not ok, he was starving.

“Don’t mind me, I was just standing here,” he said snidely.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to,” a blonde woman said, she was carrying a toddler, looking panicked. “Do you know if Bob is around?”

“What do I look like, his appointment book?”

“You don’t have to be so rude. I’m just looking for him. My son is sick.”

Reid looked at the two-year-old, the boy coughed dramatically and whined. He looked back at the woman. “He’s faking.”

“Why would you say that? He’s too young to lie.”

“Anyone can lie,” he told her.

“Why do you think he’s faking?”

“Call it intuition,” he said. It was really the nightmares he had from his pediatric rotation. “What were you doing right before he got sick?”

“I was getting ready for my date.”

“There you go, he didn’t want mommy to go out. I won’t even charge you.”

“I can’t believe you. Who are you?”

“Dr. Reid Oliver.”

“Dr. Oliver? Where do I know that name?” She snapped her fingers. “I know, you’re the doctor that’s going to operate on JC. Oh god, is she alright?”

“I can’t discuss a patient’s care with strangers.”

“Stranger? I’m her guardian if anything happens to Luke, not that anything will ever happen to him.”

“Dr. Oliver?”

Reid looked up and saw Luke Snyder and his daughter walking towards him. He was carrying a large duffle bag and Jacinda had a pink bookbag and was clutching a hideous green bear. “Mr. Snyder, nice to see you finally arrived.”

“Luke?”

“Hey, Katie, Dr. Oliver is going to do the surgery on JC but we’re leaving for Dallas now.”

“Can’t she have the surgery here?” she asked.

Before Reid could say anything, Luke stopped her. “No, she needs a facility that has everything ready for her. A doctor who is equipped to help her. While we hope to have the new wing up in a few months, we don’t have it yet. We just don’t have the time.”

The blonde woman seemed to understand Luke, it was Jacinda that didn’t have the time. The woman looked down at the little girl and her eyes started to water. Reid couldn’t have her upsetting his patient.

“Thank you very much for your concern, but we should be on our way,” he said stopping whatever she was going to say to the girl.

“He’s right, we need to get JC settled in Dallas.”

“When is the surgery?” the woman asked.

“He hasn’t said yet I’m sure he will tell us in Dallas. Thank you, Katie but we really need to go.”

Luke had to sit in his seat quietly while JC was hooked up to machines to keep track of every breath she took during the flight. He watched Dr. Oliver who sat in his own seat, writing something rapidly. JC asked several questions about what they were hooking up. She questioned Dr. Reid too and he answered every one of her questions. Luke liked that he didn’t talk down to her, he didn’t dumb down his answers. She was a smart girl and knew when people did that.

“Dr. Reid do you have a wife?” JC asked.

“JC, that’s rude,” he chided.

“No, I don’t,” Dr. Reid answer, looking at Luke smugly.

“Do you have a husband?” she asked.

Luke kept his mouth shut this time. If Dr. Oliver wanted to answer her million questions, he would let it happen.

“No, I don’t have time for a husband.”

“GG says dad won’t get married until someone sweeps him off his feet. I’ll get to be the flower girl.”

“And who made these plans?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Me and GG, we decided we would movie into the house beside Aunt Katie. Also, I’ll get a little brother or sister.”

Luke smiled. “Really? You and GG seemed to have planned everything. Do you have someone in mind that I should marry?” She nodded. “Well?”

“Rolf.”

Luke looked at the medic that was keeping an eye on her vitals. “You might want to check her oxygen, she’s sound a little loopy.”

“But Daddy, no one else likes you.” Ouch, true but still ouch. He heard Dr. Oliver laugh.

“I’m too busy for a husband too,” he said.

“With what? You don’t have a job anymore. You don’t go out. All you do is sit home with me.”

Luke smiled at her. “Yep, best kind of busy, spending all my time with you.”

The flight went well, and Reid didn’t think she would have any issue from it. The little girl was exhausted by the time they departed the plane.

“Well, thank you for everything. When should we meet you at the hospital?” Luke Snyder asked him.

“I’ll have my PA call you tomorrow and work out a time. Where will you be staying?”

“I made a reservation at a hotel close to the hospital.”

Reid shivered thinking about all those germs. Before he knew what he was saying, he spoke. “Those places are breeding grounds for every disease in the known world. I have an extra room you can use until you find something that isn’t communal.”

“I don’t know.”

“Your virtue is safe, I promise.”

Luke laughed. “Wasn’t worried about my virtue, but my daughter isn’t known for her meekness. She’s a loud girl and I didn’t want you to get annoyed.”

“It’s fine, as long as she’s potty trained.” He looked at her suspiciously.

“I’m six,” she said, glowering.

“So…that’s a no?”

“She’s been potty trained since she was two thank you very much.”

What was he doing inviting his patient and her father into his home? The crazy town must have rubbed off on him. He had only been there a day but knew it was crazy. Now he just needed to get home and disinfect himself from his own hotel stay.

The rode in silence, taking his car that he had left in airport parking. Looking in the rearview mirror, he saw the girl was asleep.

“Thank you for this,” Luke said quietly.

“Don’t mention it, please, don’t mention it. I must be insane.”

“I became a father when I wasn’t even seventeen. All the lectures I got was that I wouldn’t have a life for eighteen years, everything would about her, that I needed to grow up fast. No one tells you that this could happen. That one day is filled with laughing and playdates and the next is filled with doctors’ appointments and reading everything you can about cerebral tumors that you feel like you could write a paper on it.”

“Where’s her mother, if you don’t mind me asking?” He couldn’t help but be intrigued by Luke Snyder.

“She’s at UCLA, finishing her doctorate in criminal justice.” He turned looking at the sleeping girl. “She wasn’t ready to be a mother. I wasn’t ready to be a father, but I knew what everyone else didn’t.”

“That you were gay?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know if she would be my only chance to have a child. Not only that I couldn’t picture giving her up. Anna signed over her rights, but she calls from time to time to check on her. She has never visited, said that she would if JC asked but wanted to keep this distance. I did call her when JC was diagnosed, she decided not to visit.”

“Doesn’t sound like a great mother.”

“We were young, I was drunk and don’t even remember the night. That hurt Anna more than anything. She had told me sometime later after JC was born that it had been her first time too. No girl wants their first time not remembered by the other person. I don’t regret JC, but I regret how she came to be. Anna didn’t deserve that, and I didn’t either.”

Reid didn’t know what to say to that, so he changed subjects. “Your daughter seems to think you and this Rolf would be a good couple.” He had questions about Rolf since the man’s name was mentioned.

Luke laughed. “She would, she adores Rolf but we’re just friends.”

“You better get on that; she wants a brother or sister.”

“My cousin Jade is to blame for that.”

“I’m not following.”

“I love Jade but she’s very…self-interested. Not the parental type not helped by being raised how she was. Anyway, she wants a child without having a child.”

“I’m not following.”

“She wants to be pregnant and carry a baby, she wants her genes passed on, but she doesn’t want the responsibility of having a child. She wants the chance to watch that child grow up and be a part of their lives. So, I ended up promising her that if I get married and we decide to have a child, my husband and I would have her as a surrogate. Jade’s a loudmouth so of course JC heard her.”

“You aren’t even twenty-five yet and they are planning your second child?”

“You don’t know me. I’ve been planning my family since I was eight. All I’ve ever wanted was a family that wouldn’t…”

“Wouldn’t what?”

“It’s not important. I wanted to really thank you for inviting us to stay with you for a while. JC doesn’t like hotels either, she finds them impersonal.”

“Impersonal?”

“She’s smart, too smart for her own good sometimes.”

“Never too smart.”

Reid pulled into his parking spot at this apartment building. It was a decent place close to the hospital. Seeing Luke pick up a sleeping JC, Reid brought in the bags.

“Wow, nice place,” Luke said looking around the apartment.

“It’s ok. I’ll show you the extra bedroom.”

It wasn’t anything special, just a queen bed, nightstand and dresser. He only had it set up because his best friend from college would visit sometimes. That hadn’t happened in over a year because she had gotten married and was pregnant now. It left him without anyone to call him on Sundays to make sure he was still alive.

Luke put Jacinda on the bed and started to take her shoes off.

“Well, I’ll let you get to bed. I get up early, but I’ll try not to wake you up. You can have anything in the fridge and cabinets except my sandwich makings.”

Luke smiled and Reid felt his heartbeat speed up. “I’ll remember that. Don’t worry, tomorrow I will find a place to rent that isn’t ‘communal’.”

“No hurry.” With that he left them. Once he was in his room, he wanted to beat his head into the wall. Inviting his one-night stand and his patient to stay with him. What was he thinking?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long for an update. Hope you enjoy.

Reid woke up to laughing and loud banging. It was a little jarring until he remembered letting his patient and her father stay the night. He looked at his clock, it wasn’t even six in the morning yet. Groaning, he got out of bed and headed to his shower. It wouldn’t take long for him to shower and get dressed. He could smell bacon and eggs being cooked as he left his room.

“It’s time to turn the pancakes, Dad.”

“A few more seconds.”

“No, I like when they are gooey inside.”

“That means it’s raw.”

“But I like it.”

“But it’s raw.”

“But she likes it,” Reid said, making his presence known. “I see you wasted no time making yourself at home.”

Luke blushed; it was cute. “Sorry, she wanted a big breakfast before we go looking for a place to stay.”

“I told you there was no rush and I meant it. You didn’t make enough for me, did you?” he asked looking over at the food.

“We made enough for an army,” Luke said.

“So, just enough for me. Got it.”

He went and got him a plate and stacked the food on. JC sat next to him and Luke handed her a plate.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Reid asked.

“I’ll eat in another hour. I like to keep my medication on a schedule.”

“Medication?”

“Yep,” was all Luke said.

“Daddy, only got one kidney, it’s not even his.”

Reid couldn’t believe he had missed the scar, he thought he saw every inch of the younger man. He looked up at Luke, but he looked to be avoiding Reid’s gaze. He looked extremely embarrassed by the whole thing which confused Reid. Why be embarrassed by something that was out of your control, that was until he remembered meeting him in the bar. Luke had told him he had been sober for seven years. With a six-year old daughter he could have gotten clean for her, but he could have also gotten clean because of a kidney transplant. He didn’t know how old Luke was, but he didn’t guess very old.

He didn’t say anything else and just continued to eat the breakfast. It was good and he thought he could get used to this before he shook his head. He wasn’t made for a family, he worked too much. But if he ever did get a husband, he hoped he would be the looker Luke was. JC was a pretty great kid too.

Luke decided to take Reid up on not moving out quickly. It had been a few days since they arrived at Dallas. JC had her first appointment and Reid had scheduled a surgery date. It was in a week, after more scans, medication and bloodwork. One thing he had learned from his own surgery, there was a lot of scans and bloodwork to be done. JC was so positive and excited about getting better, Luke didn’t have her enthusiasm. He had spoken to people in the waiting room, while waiting for JC’s appointment. Everyone had wonderful things to say about Reid. He was the miracle worker.

While he knew this in his brain, his heart was scared he would lose his little girl. She was so little and too good for all the bad that happened to her.

They had gotten a routine at home; Luke would make dinner for all three of them. He made sure to keep Reid’s sandwich makings full. If Reid ended up working late, he would leave his dinner in the oven and leave him a note. One-time Luke was up making breakfast when Reid came in and tried to pull the old food out of the stove. Luke just fed him breakfast and sent him bleary-eyed to bed. It was funny, Reid was obsessed with germs but would eat just about anything.

Tonight, he wasn’t feeling up to make dinner and Reid had already called and said he wouldn’t be back until midday tomorrow. Brian had been calling and it had started to weird him out. First it was just to check on JC. With his grandmother being sick it made sense that he was calling and not her. Then when he told him that they were staying with Reid he started asking invasive questions. Questions like if he was sleeping with Reid or if Reid was hitting on him. It made him uncomfortable. Then his father called and yelled at him for moving JC into a home with a one-night stand. He told him he didn’t move her in with his one-night stand, he moved her in with her doctor, someone who would know instantly if something was wrong with her.

He and Reid had been totally platonic since their one-night stand. Luke had more important things to think about that a DOA relationship. He wanted Reid’s head on JC’s surgery, not his own sad non-love life.

The pizza guy showed up and looked disappointed. Luke thought maybe had hadn’t tipped well enough.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was just hoping to see Dr. Fox.”

“Dr. Fox?”

“Yeah, Reid, it’s what I call him.”

Luke laughed. “Oh, I guess you deliver here a lot.” Reid did love food.

“You could say that” the guy said before winking at him and leaving. What was that about?

“Pizza, pizza, pizza,” JC chanted.

They didn’t have pizza much because the local pizza place didn’t deliver to the farm. They were halfway through the pizza when he heard keys in the door. He looked up to see Reid coming in, he looked upset.

“Reid? We didn’t expect you today,” he said.

“It is my place, I thought I could come home to my own place without having to answer questions. No one asked you to stay,” he snapped.

Luke nodded and looked down at his half-eaten pizza. He hated when people were angry with him. When he was young, he just wanted everyone to be happy and went overboard to make them happy, forgoing his own happiness. That was why he ended up drinking his feelings. Soon Reid’s bedroom door slammed, and he looked up from his plate to see JC. She had pushed her plate away and looked close to tears. He could take a lot, everything he had been through in his life, he would take it and still smile but he wouldn’t let his daughter be hurt. Once he heard the shower turn on, he quickly got his and JC’s things together. He threw the pizza away and left with his daughter. The taxi was already waiting for them when they got down to the bottom floor, a plus of being in a big city like Dallas.

He knew it was too good to be true, and because of that he already had a backup. He rented a fully furnished apartment even closer to the to hospital than Reid’s. It had been professionally cleaned because the short time with Reid had made him a bit of a germaphobe when it came to JC too.

“Why was he so mean?” JC asked as he got her ready for bed.

Thankfully, they just still had what they arrived in; their other stuff hadn’t gotten to Dallas yet. He would call Brian and he change it; he didn’t know who was bringing their stuff.

“He wasn’t trying to be mean. Dr. Oliver just has an important job and sometimes he just needs quiet. We should have moved here earlier in the week.”

“But I-

“What sweetheart?”

“But if he doesn’t like me anymore, he won’t make me better.”

She was breaking his heart. He picked her up and put her on his lap. “Reid adores you; I think you’re the only person in the world he actually likes. He wants you to be better more than anything. I think this is for the best.”

“Why?”

“Because for him to keep his objectivity to when it comes to your care, he needs to keep everything professional.”

“I don’t want him to,” she cried.

“I know, but he needs to have a clear head when he operates.”

“Are Grandpa and Grandma coming?”

He really didn’t want to invite his parents down for her surgery, but it wasn’t about what he wanted. And in the event, it went wrong, they would want to be there to see her one last time. He hated, absolutely hated having to think of the worst-case scenarios. It made him feel like the worst father in the world. He just prayed Reid was the miracle worker everyone said he was.

He knew he should go back out and apologize to Luke and JC. But he had an awful day, he’s surgery was supposed to be ten hours but as soon as he opened up, everything went to hell. Sometimes nothing you can do will save someone and that’s what happened. He was an eighteen-year-old kid with his whole life in front of him. Now he was gone. Then he came home and saw JC’s smiling face and thought about it being her. He was getting too close to his patient and he knew it was a mistake. During his shower he considered asking them to move out, but he knew he wouldn’t. He was such a damned coward.

After tossing and turning for a few hours he got out of bed and decided it was time to speak with Luke. The apartment was dark, but it was after eleven at night. Then he noticed a note on the table. Picking it up he read it.

_Dear Reid,_

_Thank you for letting us stay with you during this time. I think it’s best if we get our own place now. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstay. I just bought groceries earlier, so you won’t have to go shopping for a while. See you Thursday for JC’s pre-surgery appointment._

_Luke_

He read it over a few more times and threw it away. He always chased people away. His uncle had said he was cold and distant, coming from a cold and distant man he should know he guessed his uncle would be the expert. This was for the best, he told himself. Maybe if he said it enough, he would believe it.


	6. Chapter 6

The day of the surgery had finally come, and Luke was a ball of nerves. He felt sick and didn’t know how to deal. His parents were there, and they were at each other’s throats. The reason why, he didn’t know and didn’t care, this day was about JC. He had only spoken to Reid the day before and it was just about JC’s bloodwork.

“Daddy, I’m scared.”

Luke looked at JC who looked so incredibly small in the bed. His parents started arguing in the room over who had wronged who the most in their past.

“If you are going to argue please leave the room.”

Luke looked towards the door and saw Reid standing in the doorway. He was glaring at his parents.

“Who do you think you are?” his dad, Holden asked.

“Your granddaughter’s doctor, I won’t have her upset so take this outside.”

His parents looked like they wanted to argue but they remembered this is the man that could save their granddaughter and left.

“Sorry about them,” Luke said.

“Are they always like that?” Reid asked.

“All my life.”

“So, how’s my patient?” Reid asked, changing subjects.

Luke turned his back to his daughter and faced Reid. “She’s scared,” he mouthed.

Reid nodded and walked to JC. “So, Miss Snyder, are you ready for today?”

She shook her head and a tear started to run down her cheek.

“Hey, now, why the tears?”

“I don’t want to die.”

Luke couldn’t help it, he started to cry. He went to stand on the opposite side of her bed that Reid was on.

“Luke, why don’t you see how your parents are,” Reid said, it wasn’t a suggestion but an order.

“No.”

“Now.”

Luke saw he was making JC more upset, so he left the room as the nurse came in to check on JC. A few minutes later both Reid and the nurse came back out. Reid headed for him and just looked him in the eye.

“I know, I shouldn’t have gotten upset. Her seeing me scared and worried made her more scared.”

“And here I thought I would have to tell you how you messed up.”

“No. I’ve been the one in that bed when your parents can’t stop crying. That’s when I knew I was dying.” Reid looked uncomfortable. “Sorry. Is she better?”

“Yeah, she’s scared so you have to be the strong one for her.”

“I know.”

“Then show it.”

Reid left after that, but Luke wasn’t offended, he knew Reid had a lot to prepare for her surgery. Luke composed himself and went back into the room to spend time with JC before they took her back for surgery.

* * *

It had been hours and hours staring at the four walls in the waiting room. His parents had finally stopped fighting, in fact they stopped talking all together.

“This reminds me of your surgery,” his dad said.

“I was so scared we were going to lose you,” his mom added.

“This isn’t helping,” he told them. He just wanted silence until the operation was over.

“She’ll be alright, Luke,” his mom said.

“You don’t know that. This isn’t a kidney transplant that happens at hospitals all around the world, this is brain surgery that only one doctor in the whole world would dare to attempt.”

They couldn’t argue with that, he was telling the truth and they knew it.

“What’s going on with you and Dr. Oliver?” his mother asked.

“What? Nothing is going on.”

“You stayed with him, that’s something,” his dad said.

“For a few days after we arrived. I knew him at least a little in a huge city of strangers, sorry I didn’t want to be alone in case something happened to JC.”

“We’re just worried for you, Luke. You have such a big heart. We don’t want someone taking advantage of you,” his mom said.

“I’m sick of you still treating me like a naughty kid. I get that I disappointed you with having JC so young and being gay, but I wouldn’t change either. I love my daughter and when I do start dating and fall in love, it will be with a man.” He couldn’t listen to them anymore; he stood and went for a walk.

* * *

Reid stepped into the waiting room, usually he would have a nurse bring them to the family room. He was exhausted but felt now he needed to tell Luke what happened himself.

Luke and his parents rushed over to him after they noticed him.

“How is she?” Luke asked.

“This would be better in the family room, can you come with me,” he said solemnly.

“Oh god, no,” Luke’s mother said, turning into her husband.

Reid looked around to the other people in the waiting room. “Please, follow me to the family room.” He turned and walked to the room which was a closed off room in the corner of the waiting room. He couldn’t believe he was going to have to break this news. This was why he didn’t get attached.

Once the three were in the room with him, he shut the door. “Please, have a seat,” he said.

“No, tell me now, Reid,” Luke said, he looked pale.

“First, she’s alive but we did lose her once on the table. We were able to bring her back, I was able to get the complete tumor, but it was harder to get out than I anticipated. We won’t know if there were any permanent damage until she wakes up.”

“So, she’s alright?” Luke’s father asked.

“As I stated, the surgery was a success but until she wakes, I can’t say that there wasn’t any lasting damage.”

“But she’s alive?” Luke asked, sounding weak and like he just needed to hear the words.

“She’s alive.”

* * *

Luke sat beside JC’s bedside, praying she woke up soon. Apparently, Reid was sleeping somewhere in the hospital just in case she needed him. His parents had gone back to their hotel but promised to be back soon.

Turning the page, he continued to read. “The princess didn’t want to dress like all the other princesses. She wanted to be a knight, and Knights didn’t wear dresses. She wanted to ride horses and play with all the village children.”

There was a noise from the door, he looked over and saw Reid. “Hey.”

“That’s a neat book,” Reid said.

“Yeah, she likes it.”

“What’s it called?”

“The Knight Princess.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Of course not, I wrote it for her.”

“You did?”

“You sound impressed.”

“Being Richie Rich I didn’t think you had a problem buying books.”

Luke laughed. “I didn’t. When she was much smaller, I would make up stories for her because the books bored her. I made up stories and my friend Rolf drew the pictures for them. I didn’t publish them or anything, just had them printed.” He showed Reid the book cover.

“It looks professional.”

“That was all Rolf, I didn’t care what it looked like.”

“Sounds like there is more between you and Rolf than you let on.”

“No, he’s still a kid.”

“Younger than you?”

“No, a year older. But he can still be a kid, his biggest worry is making rent and how to drink and screw around all week long. I haven’t been a kid since I was sixteen years old.”

“It’s been longer than that, kiddo.”

Luke jumped at his dad’s voice; he didn’t realize he had come in behind Reid. “Dad?”

“You haven’t been a kid in a long time. You’ve always taken it on yourself to fix what wasn’t yours to fix. We failed you when you needed us the most.”

Luke watched his dad’s eyes flick to where they all knew his scar was.

“It’s alright, Dad,” he said.

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry that I’ve been so hard on you. Not only have I been unrealistic in my judgments I’ve been a hypocrite. Was I disappointed that you became a father so young? Yes. But that’s not an excuse to act the way I have. You’ve been a better father to JC than I ever have to you.”

“That’s not true, Dad. You’ve been the best dad.”

“You’re kind to say but we both know that I’ve not been the best dad. There is a lot I need to make up for but if you’re willing to forgive me then I promise to do better. You confuse me because you are the most unselfish person I know; I can’t believe I raised such a good person. Sometimes you don’t think things through but you’re never malicious. You’re an amazing son and a better dad. I just wanted to tell you that.”

Luke did his best to hold back his tears. His dad had never said anything like that to him. Ever since JC was born it was like he was waiting for him to mess up again. Not that he would trade JC for the world.


End file.
